2005 White Sox relive their World Series championship

Ten years ago, on a late-October night in Houston, the White Sox delivered a World Series championship to a city starved for one. The miracle on 35th Street erased an 88-year absence of baseball triumph on the South Side, but many weren't expecting it to happen in 2005. Then the "Don't Stop Believin'" Sox led the American League Central wire-to-wire and overwhelmed opponents during an 11-1 postseason run.

Many players from that 2005 team will be in Chicago this weekend to celebrate the achievement during a reunion at U.S. Cellular Field. The Tribune caught up with some of the team's key figures, who shared some of their favorite memories from that remarkable season. The first installment, in Sunday's editions, covered the season through the AL Championship Series. This final installment deals with the World Series and its aftermath.

Jenks gets job done

With the Red Sox and Angels eliminated, the White Sox had their sights set on ending the championship drought. They won Game 1 of the World Series against the Astros 5-3. Joe Crede broke a 3-3 tie with a home run in the fourth inning and made game-saving plays in the sixth and seventh at third base. In the eighth, manager Ozzie Guillen stretched both of his arms to his sides to summon closer Bobby Jenks from the bullpen to face Jeff Bagwell with two outs and the tying run on third. Jenks struck him out and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

•Jenks: It's Jeff freakin' Bagwell. He (should be) a Hall of Famer. The guy has been around. He has done some things. But I knew what our game plan was. The defining moment, it wasn't that at-bat. It was coming in the next inning and going 1, 2, 3. That's when my confidence level shot through the roof and I said, "This could be the time."

•Guillen: When you call him the big and fat guy when you're doing good, it's OK. But when you're not doing good. … I have two guys in the bullpen. I didn't want to make a mistake with the umpires. That's why I sign like that. I think it's a trademark for him or me.

A look back at the run in the playoffs by the White Sox: From winning the AL Central to the World Series in 2005.

•Jenks: It gives you guys something to talk about.

•Center fielder Aaron Rowand: How many times did you look up and your jaw is on the ground? I think (Crede) saved us quite a few runs during that series.

What a blast!

As home runs go, several stand out from the 2005 World Series, including Scott Podsednik's walk-off homer and Paul Konerko's grand slam in Game 2, a 7-6 White Sox victory. Konerko's home run on the first pitch he saw from Chad Qualls gave the Sox a 6-4 lead in the seventh, but the Astros scored twice in the ninth to set up Podsednik.

•Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf: My favorite moment has to be Podsednik's home run, which followed my m-f'ing him for not throwing a guy out at the plate in the top of the ninth inning.

Ten years ago, on a late-October night in Houston, the White Sox delivered a World Series championship to a city starved for one. It had been 88 years since Chicago had tasted one, and many weren't expecting it to happen in 2005. But the Sox led the American League Central wire to wire and overwhelmed...

(Paul Skrbina)

•Crede: I was in the tunnel when he hit it. Carl Everett was there with me. He hit it and we both looked at it on the screen and we both started running out of the dugout. If you look in the background of everybody celebrating, I tried to jump over the railing and just did a face-plant.

•Podsednik: It was cold and raining that night, the ball wasn't really carrying. I was just about to round first base, I saw (coach) Tim Raines throw his arms up. I look to right-center and saw it leave.

•Crede: Just the sound of that stadium. That's the loudest I've ever heard a stadium — NFL, NBA. To be a part of that moment … I was so happy for him.

•Reinsdorf: I'm sitting next to (general manager) Kenny (Williams), and (Podsednik) hits that ball and Kenny says, 'You gotta be bleepin' me.' We were absolutely stunned. The guy hit no home runs during the regular season.

•Podsednik: I've watched it quite a few times. I get emotional. This real neat feeling shoots through me. I've had two kids, but in terms of competition and excitement and emotional highs, obviously that was as good as it was ever going to get.

•Jenks: I just blew the save. So, everyone, you're welcome for his home run.

•Podsednik: When we took the field (after Konerko's grand slam), I remember standing out in left field looking at Paul between pitches. My eyes were just locked on him, and all this time I'm replaying in my mind, "What is it like to be that man right there? He just hit a grand slam to put his team up by (two) in the World Series." It was kind of weird that I was standing there thinking about what Paul was feeling.

•Konerko: We blew a lead in this game, we were losing early in this game, (but) we were going to find a way to win this game. We're going to win this series. It was just really urgent.

•Podsednik: I remember looking up at Ozzie. I wanted to swing 2-0. He shook his finger and said, "Don't even think about it; take one." So I took a strike right down the middle. I stepped out and said to myself, "He's probably not going to throw that slider 2-1. You look for that exact same pitch and be ready for it." I was sitting fastball all the way. I got one right out over the plate, put a good swing on it and, fortunately, just didn't miss it.

•Konerko: I don't think I saw him swing. You hear the crowd and try to find the ball in the air. Most times when a ball goes up there it's a ball that goes down the line and you're trying to find what's wrong with it, like it's going to hook foul. So when it's in the air you're thinking, "Well, that can't get out." You're not thinking it's going to be what it is.

•Guillen: I don't really care about the celebration. I care about the guy who was wrong. The first thing, when he hit the home run, everybody jumped in the pile looking for Podsednik. I was looking for Bobby (Jenks). I said, "You are my man tomorrow. Be ready for that."

•Pitcher Mark Buehrle: All I remember is running out, and Pods' bat was sitting right there, and in my mind I'm like, "I'm sure he's going to want this." I grabbed it and I was in the celebration pile with the bat off to the side, like, "No one's going to take it. I'm going to give this to Pods after the game."

•Podsednik: I think I surprised everybody in Chicago that night, including myself.

Unlikely hero

Podsednik's home run wasn't the only surprise of the series. GeoffBlum, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Padres, took advantage of his only World Series plate appearance when he homered in the top of the 14th inning of Game 3, a 7-5 Sox victory and the longest game in Series history. Buehrle, the ninth Sox pitcher of the game, earned a save, and may or may not have had a beer or two in the clubhouse before pitching a third of an inning.

•Reinsdorf: I never saw Geoff's home run. When Geoff hit the home run, somebody got on base to lead off the inning, Konerko hit into the double play, I got ticked off, got up from my seat and walked back into the suite behind me. I looked at a monitor and I saw a ball going over the fence. That's all I saw.

•Blum: PK hits into that double play, and this is going to sound terrible, but there was an extreme sense of relief because there was going to be nobody on, no bunting situation. So I said, "I'm going to take at least one pitch so they have enough video to prove to my kids I actually played in the World Series."

Timing is everything. It has changed my life. My kids appreciate me a little bit more. I put the ring on and say, "Now go brush your teeth."

•Rowand: I was standing on deck when this guy went deep. It wasn't like I was surprised. It's almost like going through an entire season of seeing things like that, it gets to the point where you almost expect something to happen.

•Blum: After I think I ripped Aaron Rowand's arm off on a high-five, I looked up and I blew a kiss in the direction of where I thought would be my wife and relatives. Now, my mom and my brother are up there, they got it. But my wife, believe it or not, was in the Astros' wives' lounge. My daughter was too tired. The home run happened at 1 a.m. Central. (My wife) needed a place to go. She said it was a little noisy in the room, but as soon as the ball went out of the ballpark it went dead quiet.

•Rowand: After he hit the home run he came around and I gave him a big bear hug. I'm thinking to myself, "My at-bat doesn't mean anything now."

•Williams: Ozzie said, "All I think we need is one little thing, for this particular role." We brought up Geoff's name (at the trade deadline) and he said, "Perfect. That's the guy."

•Blum: Just to be in that ballgame, for most people that was probably a shocker. In the 13th inning a double-switch came up and I was actually playing second base, officially, which might be a little more shocking than me hitting that home run. I was in a little bit of a panic mode thinking about what was going to be expected of me. … It just so happened I got to a 2-0 count. He missed his spot by a foot-and-a-half and I just hammered it. I knew I could hit that pitch out.

•Guillen: He wasn't on the lineup card. (Pablo) Ozuna was on the lineup card because I have to make a double-switch. One of my sons says, "Blum is ready." He wasn't telling me. He was telling someone behind me. I said, "Hold on." I called Ozuna back and Blum hit the home run. All of a sudden I look up and see Blum at second base on the lineup card and I got confused.

•Right fielder Jermaine Dye: I don't even know about that. Buehrle was ready to come in at any point — pinch run, pinch hit.

•Buehrle: I remember telling Coop during the game, "Are you going to need somebody else to go down there?" Because we used a lot of pitchers. I didn't think I was actually going to be used. A lot of it was me kind of wearing him out, asking him every inning for five innings straight. I think he got to the point where he was like, "Just get the heck out of my face and go down there. We're not going to use you, but I'm tired of you asking me." I was pretty numb the whole way running to the mound. I don't remember too much of it.

•Guillen: I don't know. I'm not a baby-sitter. I don't care what my players do (off) the field.

Dye is cast

With a 3-0 series lead, the Sox felt confident about finally bringing a championship to Chicago. World Series MVP Dye drove in the only run of Game 4 on a single up the middle that scored Willie Harris in the eighth. One play after Juan Uribe dived into the stands for the second-to-last out, the shortstop threw out Orlando Palmeiro at first, closer Bobby Jenks embraced A.J. Pierzynski and the 1-0 victory was secured. The team partied into the morning with Journey lead singer Steve Perry, who sang "Don't Stop Believin''', which the Sox had adopted as their theme song that season.

•Dye: I told (hitting coach) Greg Walker I was going to sit on a slider from (Astros pitcher Brad) Lidge. He said, "You're stupid. He throws 95 and you're going to sit slider?" Then he told me that's why I make the big bucks. There was a lot of adrenaline when that ball went up the middle. I wasn't really thinking that was going to be the run that wins the game.

•Williams: I immediately turned around to find Jerry. I was sitting in his suite. As long as I've known this man, that has been his greatest desire, to win a World Series. It was kind of an-out-of-body moment to finally see that happen. As I talk about it, it gives me chills. That one thing really stands out, along with Konerko giving him the ball at the celebration. And he says, "This is the greatest moment of my life."

•Reinsdorf: I got in a lot of trouble with that with my wife. She says, "So that was the greatest moment of your life." So I lied and I did the only thing you can do, I said, "You didn't hear me right: That was the greatest moment of my professional life."

•Williams: We're all sitting, champagne-soaked. No one had showered at that point. A few guys were sitting around a table and this other guy was sitting there. We're telling stories about the whole season and one of us asked, "Who's this guy over here?" Somebody said it was Joe (Crede's) brother or Aaron (Rowand's) brother, Aaron's cousin. Oh, OK. Forty-five minutes goes by and everyone has asked the question, "Who is that?" and has gotten a different answer.

There was somebody — and this person is probably still in Chicago telling this story — and he was in the White Sox World Series locker room, hanging out with players and everybody, telling stories and nobody believes him. But he was there, and none of us knew who he was.

•Buehrle: It was actually a little disappointing because we went back after to the hotel and were looking to continue partying, but everything was closed down. We were ready to celebrate, but it was kind of a rude ending.

•Pitcher Jose Contreras: Back in spring training, the first day that Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez was there with us, the sportswriters were around him and they asked him, "What do you think about this team?" And he said, "This is a team that will win the World Series." I was like, "Do you really think that?" He said, "Yes, I'm here to win the championship." After the World Series he said, "Hey, I told you we win the World Series."

•Jenks: (Blum and I were) doing an autograph session and one of the magazines came by and it's him jumping on my back, with his hand like this. It looks innocent, right? For about two months I had an actual claw mark in my shoulder. I had a handprint bruise and literally five finger dents in my shoulder.

•Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi: It's great to get to the clubhouse and see Ozzie happy and joyful and drunk at times.

•Guillen: I was not numb, not shocked, because I know what we have. I just wanted to stay away the most I can from the ballclub, like a proud papi watching their kids having success.

•Reinsdorf: It seems like yesterday. My whole life seems like yesterday. I remember I used to be the youngest kid on the block; now I'm the oldest.

•Jenks: It's fulfilling a lifelong childhood fantasy from when you're this tall. Being able to take that last inning, you can't put it in words.

•Dye: (The MVP trophy) still has all the champagne spots on it. I haven't polished it. I keep it in my game room, right next to my Gold Glove. It could have gone to anybody. It just so happened I got it. I have the bat from Game 4. Still have my jersey and my cleats. I don't have the ball.

•Pierzynski: ("Don't Stop Believin'") kind of started out as a joke. We were in Baltimore during the season, and a bunch of us were in the hotel lobby bar, and they had a piano singer. We were yelling at her to play some Journey, as a joke. And the next day in Baltimore it was a close game and they started playing "Don't Stop Believin''' and we ended up scoring, like, five or six runs. And we were like, "Yeah, play some Journey!' And it kind of just took off from there.

Time to reflect

Upon returning to Chicago from Houston, the Sox were greeted by well-wishers at the airport. A few days later, an estimated 2 million people lined the streets for the downtownvictory parade. Not long after the tears of joy came tears of sadness when Aaron Rowand was traded to the Phillies.

•Guillen: I'm very freaked out to fly. The captain called me to be in the cockpit. He flew by Midway and I saw the people down there before we landed. I started to get sensitive and I started crying. I cannot believe this ballclub made so many people in this town so happy and so proud.

•Rowand: Disbelief. To see people 19-20 deep on the side of the street. That parade was probably one of the greatest days of my life. I took the time to make sure I took it in.

•Dye: We couldn't believe we clinched every series on the road. We didn't really get that good celebration with our fans until the parade. We flew back home the next day and I think it was myself and Aaron Rowand, Scott Podsednik and Frank Thomas. We all hung out on the patio at this bar on Rush Street from brunch till nighttime celebrating with all the fans.

•Rowand: Most people don't want to wear the mic. You have a wire running up your back. It's uncomfortable with your belt. I didn't realize till after we won that I was the first player to ever do it (in a World Series), so the microphone's actually in the Hall of Fame. … I'm glad I said yes.

•Guillen: When I come to my house, I have a beer and I closed the door and I fall asleep for three or four hours. It was draining. I was tired without playing.

•Konerko: We just squeaked in and then normal happened and that was it. That's how I look back at it. It's different when you're going through it, you don't know all that, but when you look back well, all that happened is we just played our game and we beat teams that weren't probably as good as us. Pretty simple.

•Rowand: We get done with the World Series and they ask Joe (Crede) and I to come back here to do the DVD unveiling when the World Series DVD came out. It was at a movie theater. All the reporters are there asking, "What about this? What about that?" And I'm going, "I wanna spend the rest of my career in Chicago." I get in the cab the next morning to go to O'Hare and I hear Bruce Levine on the radio talking about a trade rumor to Philly for Jim Thome. I'm like, "Yeah, right. He's way too good." Sure enough, about five days later I get a phone call from Kenny (Williams). There were tears on both ends. I didn't want to leave.